Steve Dettelback has been Confirmed by the U.S. Senate Lead the Firearms Bureau
Biden says that the confirmation of Dettelback would play a key role in the implementation of recently passed gun safety bills..
Steve Dettelback, the career-long prosecutor, has become just the second person to be confirmed as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in 16 years today as the United States Senate voted to confirm him in a 48 to 46 vote.
Biden’s prior nominee for the agency was David Chipman. Chipman was forced to withdraw following his opposition from gun groups and an online disinformation campaign. Dettelback has pledged to lead the bureau in a nonpartisan manner. Even with his promises, many Republicans have already stated their concerns over his views on gun regulation.
Since 2006, the year in which the ATF director position became one that required Senate confirmation, B. Todd Jones was the only person to win the confirmation. Since him, it has been led by a string of acting directors which has destabilized the efforts of the law enforcement and regulatory sides of the agency.
Biden says that the confirmation of Dettelback would play a key role in the implementation of recently passed gun safety bills. Attorney General Merrick Garland even gave his praise, saying: “I am confident that Dettelbach will lead ATF with integrity, dedication, and skill.”